April 27, 2012

New Saint Louis University Scholarship Will Honor Bob Bauman’s Legacy


Saint Louis University is establishing a new scholarship program to honor the memory of the late Bob Bauman, the most renowned athletic trainer in Billiken history.

The Clarence A. “Bob” Bauman Endowed Scholarship in Athletic Training will provide tuition support for outstanding students in SLU’s athletic training education program during their final year of study.

The University is seeking to raise $200,000 to endow the scholarship. The fundraising effort is being led by a trio of SLU alumni and Billiken Hall of Famers: J. Kim Tucci, the co-founder of The Pasta House Co.; Scott Highmark, senior vice president at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney; and Bill Hopfinger, founder and president of Rehab 1 Network.

“As a loyal and lifelong Billiken fan, I believe this scholarship will be a fitting tribute to Bob Bauman’s impressive life and legacy. ‘Doc’ was a great man, and he should never be forgotten,” Tucci said.

Bauman, who passed away in 1999, took care of SLU’s student-athletes for more than five decades (1928 to 1979), earning him an inaugural place in the Billiken Hall of Fame.

“Although ‘Doc’ had retired long before I began playing Billiken basketball, you could still feel his presence in West Pine Gym,” Highmark said.

But Bauman’s impact on St. Louis sports isn’t limited to Billiken athletics. He also served as the St. Louis Cardinals’ athletic trainer for nearly 50 years. He was inducted into the Missouri Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 1984.

“It’s impossible to measure the impact Bob had on athletic training and sports medicine in St. Louis, and his teaching and guidance contributed greatly to my professional success,” Hopfinger said. 

SLU’s athletic training education program is guided by a mission to develop health care professionals who “act for the good of the public, recognize the value of interprofessional practice and seek opportunities to serve the disadvantaged.”

To the program’s director, Anthony Breitbach, Ph.D., A.T.C., that mission sounds like a lot like Bob Bauman’s own personal characteristics.

“Everyone who supports this scholarship will be helping us educate athletic trainers who embody Bob’s commitment to integrity, excellence and professionalism,” Breitbach said.

To learn more about the Clarence A. “Bob” Bauman Endowed Scholarship in Athletic Training at Saint Louis University, please contact Steve Sievers, Doisy College of Health Sciences Development Director, at 314.977.8322 or ssiever1@slu.edu.


More about the Athletic Training Education Program
Saint Louis University's athletic training education entry-level master's program is one of only 26 entry-level master's programs in the country to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). The program is uniquely positioned at SLU’s Medical Center within a collaborative, interprofessional environment, state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories and access to the new Chaifetz Arena. To learn more, visit at.slu.edu.

More about the Doisy College of Health Sciences
Long a leader in educating health professionals, Saint Louis University offered its first degree in an allied health profession in 1929. Today the Doisy College of Health Sciences offers degrees in physical therapy and athletic training, clinical laboratory science, nutrition and dietetics, health informatics and information management, health sciences, medical imaging and radiation therapeutics, occupational science and occupational therapy, and physician assistant education. The college's unique curriculum prepares students to work with health professionals from all disciplines to ensure the best possible patient care. To learn more, visit doisycollege.slu.edu.

More about Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a Catholic, Jesuit university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 14,000 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Through teaching, research, health care and community service, Saint Louis University has provided one-of-a-kind education, leadership and service for nearly two centuries. To learn more, visit slu.edu.

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